Prospect Gossett sent to Minors

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Promising pitching prospect Daniel Gossett was sent to Minor League camp Sunday morning, but it may not be long before the A's see him again.
The 24-year-old starter, who is the A's No. 7 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, did his part to climb the ranks of the A's depth chart this spring, impressing so much that the A's now consider him to be next in line.
"Typically over the course of the season, we run through quite a few guys, so he knows that he is now in line for one of those spots, and his job is to go down and perform, and continue to develop in the fashion that we've seen," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "If he continues to do that, it won't be long before he's here. As far as the starting pitchers have gone that don't look to potentially be here [on Opening Day], he's at the top of the list."

Gossett, a second-round Draft pick in 2014, compiled a 4.26 ERA in Cactus League action. He didn't allow a run in his first two outings, spanning four innings, before giving up three in 2 1/3 innings in his last appearance. 
The right-hander pitched at three levels last season -- finishing the year at Triple-A Nashville -- and compiled a 2.69 ERA overall, striking out 151 batters in 153 2/3 innings.
"When he's good, he's proficient in throwing strikes," Melvin said, "and the next thing to come for him will be his changeup and his breaking ball."
Gossett reminds Melvin of right-hander Kendall Graveman, the efficient sinkerballer who is soon expected to be named Oakland's Opening Day starter.
"There are a lot of similarities between him and Kendall Graveman for me, and how they pitch," Melvin said. "It was good that he got to watch Kendall. You're always trying to find a comp for you that you're trying to emulate, go back and look at video, and so forth."
The A's also reassigned pitcher Chris Smith, catchers Matt McBride and Sean Murphy, and infielder Max Schrock to Minor League camp.